I dont think there's a better place on the internet to ask this question!<p>I'm interested in computer programming but I have little experience in it. My previous degree was in quantity surveying, sort of construction related applied accounting, but here in ireland the construction industry has been wiped out so Im considering a career change. I'm 23.<p>Im thinking about going back to college, and getting a degree, possibly in computer science, but apart from knowing how to make basic websites in html and messing around with Ruby a little bit I have very little knowledge in programming.<p>I think what I might be interested in is making my own programs and web applications, although this is just a thought.<p>So my question to you is, what areas in computer programming are going to be in demand in the coming years, what areas are you interested in personally that you think are good niches to focus a career in, and would you recommend a college degree as the first step in pursuing this career?<p>And advice is greatly appreciated, and I apologize if any of my questions sound strange. Thanks.
Why don't you hit the books? College can be a little expensive. Why lose 5 or 4 years of study? why not just try to do something with what you previously learnt using Information Technology?<p>My Question: What if IT wipe out after 5 years? Will you consider another career change.<p>Since you are interested in IT, learn it yourself, it's not hard and all the resources are available on the internet. And then try to do something using your previous and your new knowledge.<p>Note that my advice is Startup-Oriented. If you want to become an employee and working as a developer, then you may consider a career change. However, try to answer the question! (Just imagine the situation)
I returned to university to get a 2nd degree in Computer Science after realizing how poor my job options were with my philosophy degree. The benefit of a 2nd degree, at least in the Canadian system (I'm not sure how it works in Ireland), is that you don't need to fulfil all of the elective credits, so you can complete a second degree in 2 years.<p>Having been through the degree, I am glad I did it, but I'm not sure it's the best and quickest path to a career as a developer. There was a lot of time spent on learning theory and history of the discipline, that may have been better spent on doing. Programming is definitely best learned by doing.<p>It is a tough decision to make. Many employers still hold the degree up high as a hiring requirement. You already have one of these.<p>My advice would be to explore your options. Try out some self-learning. There are many great books and online tutorials out there to learn from. Play around with the field a bit before committing to another degree.
Since you already have a degree, if you are interested in learning PHP, Zend offers training. When you finish the training you can test for certification from ZEND. As far as PHP goes, this is probably much more in-depth than you will get from a university course.<p>Here is a link if you are interested: <a href="http://www.zend.com/en/services/training/" rel="nofollow">http://www.zend.com/en/services/training/</a><p>One thing that has helped me in the past is studying existing code and then making modifications to it.